In the early 2000s, a group of artists who design and screen-print concert posters for bands decided to organize an exhibition of their work in San Francisco. It was so successful that they formed a nonprofit called the American Poster Institute to put on shows at future music-related events. Today, the API’s long-running Flatstock exhibition is synonymous with the celebration of the show poster as an art form.
“Bumbershoot has been hosting Flatstock since Flatstock started,” says Mike Klay, a local graphic artist who runs Powerslide Design Co. and serves on the board of the American Poster Institute. “Flatstock 1 was in San Francisco, Flatstock 2 was in Austin during SXSW, and Flatstock 3 was in Seattle at Bumbershoot in 2003.”
For Klay, who has exhibited as an artist at every Bumbershoot since Flatstock began, it seems only natural that the show would have such strong ties to Seattle.